Love and Marriage and Children
by Scarlet Tabby
Summary: Sam Malone and Rebecca Howe have decided to have a child together. They navigate the complicated road of parenthood with Lilith and Frasier Crane. Chapter fic, in progress.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Welcome to another story, darling readers! This was an idea given to me by a very dear friend of mine, and I immediately fell in love with the possibilities. This story begins somewhere during early season 10 of Cheers, when Sam and Rebecca are planning on having a child together. And that's all I'll say for now. Enjoy, please review, and more will be coming soon!

**Love and Marriage and Children**

"Hey listen, guys! We're gonna be great parents! Rebecca and I are friends and we care about each other. We want to be parents, and it doesn't matter if we're romantically involved, and it doesn't matter if we're married or not, okay?" Sam threw down the towel he was using to dry beer glasses to punctuate his point.

Lilith walked over from where she was sitting. "Sam, I think we should all sit down and have a conversation about this. Frasier and I both feel that you and Rebecca need to think this through a little more, calmly and rationally and logically. We can help facilitate that. We are professionals, after all."

Rebecca put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Come on, Sam. It won't hurt to just talk about it. God knows we can't have a simple conversation without going overboard and getting in a huge fight."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, alright." He and Rebecca came around from behind the bar and joined Frasier and Lilith at their table in the corner.

Frasier sat up straight and grinned. "Very sensible of you both to speak with us. Parenthood is a very big step, whether or not you intend to be married. What matters is what is best for the child. A baby is a lot of work and sacrifice. As parents, you need to be able to put aside your own needs and desires to provide an environment of love and support."

Lilith nodded. "Frasier is right. But more importantly, babies are hell. They cry all the time. You won't get a decent night's sleep for at least two years. And that's not including what poor Rebecca will go through during pregnancy."

Rebecca frowned. "You didn't have too much trouble, did you, Lilith?"

She smirked. "I did my best to keep my sanity in public." Frasier scoffed and received a glare from his wife. "But no, it was horrible. Everything hurt. I couldn't sleep for the last three months or so. I had to pee all the time. I was sick and tired for nine freaking months."

"And that's not counting the hell she'll put you through, Sam," Frasier added. "You will get blamed for everything. After all, it's your seed that put her in that state."

Rebecca turned to Sam and said in a low tone, "You know, maybe they're right. Are we really ready for this?"

Sam took her hands in his. "Right now? Not at all. But by the time we get pregnant and you give birth to our kid, we will be. And even if we're not, we'll figure it out! How many people become parents by accident? And their kids all turn out okay! Hell, we _want_ a baby. That makes us more ready than most people out there. And think about it, Rebecca. Sure he'll cry and keep us up at night. Sure being pregnant and giving birth will be tough. But when our baby opens his eyes for the first time, he'll see you and me. And we'll hold this tiny little bundle that we made. And we're going to love him more than we ever knew was possible. He'll take his first steps from my arms into yours. You'll get to kiss him goodnight and tuck him in. I'll get to teach him how to throw a baseball. And no matter what happens to you or me, for the rest of our lives, we'll have our kid. And at the end of the day, isn't that what's important? To love and be loved? That's all we're asking for, isn't it?"

"Yes! Yes to all of it, Sam. I want that. Let's do it, Sam. Let's make a baby!" Rebecca cried, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Lilith turned to her own husband. "Frasier…"

"I know. He's right. Children are the best blessing in the world. Makes you wonder why we've only got one," he chuckled, squeezing her hand.

"Frasier."

He looked at her and saw that look in her eyes, that shining look of love and lust. "Oh. Oh!" he said in realization. He turned back to Sam and Rebecca. "Well, it looks like you've made your decision. Good luck conceiving. Looks like the Cranes are off to do the same." He stood up and pulled Lilith with him.

"Frasier!" she scolded, pressing her free hand to her mouth to keep from grinning like an idiot. All things going as planned, she'd soon be re-experiencing the blissful hell of expectant motherhood. And they couldn't wait.


	2. Chapter 2

About a month later, Frasier burst into Cheers, grinning from ear to ear. "Attention, all!" he announced, "The Crane family will soon gain one more member. Lilith is pregnant!"

The bar patrons clapped and congratulated their friend. Frasier walked over to the bar to get a drink on the house from Woody.

A moment later, Rebecca ran into the bar. She threw her coat against the wall and screamed.

Sam came running over. "Oh my god what happened?!"

"Sam!" she cried, "We're pregnant!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah! I just came from the doctor to make sure! I'm due at the beginning of June!" Rebecca's grin was from ear to ear. Her excitement and pure joy was evident in the way breathy way her voice squeaked and cracked with emotion.

Frasier called from his barstool, "Congratulations! Lilith is due mid-June. We somehow get to tell Frederick that he's going to have a sibling. Although the boy just turned two. He hasn't got the mental faculties to understand that concept yet. But I'm rambling." He stood up and walked over to Sam. "Look at us! We get to go through pregnancy and fatherhood together! Who would have thought it, huh?"

Sam smiled but didn't say anything. Rebecca came over to Frasier. "Wait, you mean Lilith is pregnant, too? We're going to be pregnant at the same time?"

"Looks like it!"

"Wow. I mean…wow. I'm glad I won't have to do this alone."

"Hey you're not alone, Rebecca," Sam interjected.

She rolled her eyes. "You're not going to be the one getting fat and God knows what else! I'm glad I'll have another pregnant woman to compare notes with. You know, someone to help prepare everything with. But jeez, you guys are kinda stealing our thunder, Frasier."

"Well you two were the ones who convinced us to have another child in the first place! And besides, this is our second child. I'm excited, naturally, but it's much less of an event for us," he explained.

A moment later, Lilith entered the bar. "Frasier, darling, have you gotten a chance to have your moment in the spotlight by telling your friends of the proof of your manhood?"

Frasier blushed ever so slightly as he trotted up the stairs to greet her at the door. "Yes, my love, and they've wished us well. Though the news was upstaged upon learning that Rebecca is also pregnant."

"Congratulations, Rebecca. And you too, Sam. It looks like we'll be having our children at about the same time. How far along are you?"

"The doctor said six weeks."

"So you'll be due at the end of May?"

"Early June."

"Well you mustn't put too much stock in that," Frasier warned. "Lilith was due mid-October, and Frederick came into the world after Halloween."

"How far along are you, Lilith?" Rebecca asked.

"Only four weeks. As a doctor, I'm much more sensitive to changes in my body than a typical woman might be. I went to see my obstetrician yesterday and we received the test results today. Frasier immediately wanted to come down here and share the news. I must say, I myself am quite pleased. Though we will likely have to find a way to explain this all to Frederick around Christmas. But he won't understand the concept of a sibling until there's a baby in our house taking away all the attention from him." Her eyes went wide. "Oh my goodness, Frasier, we're going to have to do some research about this transition in Frederick's life."

Frasier led his wife to her usual barstool. "You know, I was just considering that very problem before you arrived. Great minds think alike. And I'll naturally look into the issue and consult with colleagues, but Lilith, I really believe he's too young to understand. Or really even care."

She frowned. "I don't think you're considering the possible ramifications on our son's future emotional stability, Frasier. How did you react when your brother came along?"

"As far as I can recall, I was fine. I was even younger than Freddy when Niles came along. I gained a playmate and lost that share of my parents' love. Oh alright, I see what you mean," he said in acquiescence. "But I promise that we'll handle the issue just as we handle all of the various events in our son's life."

Lilith nodded with satisfaction. "Very well. Thank you, Frasier. This situation is going to be rather more complicated than I perhaps had originally anticipated in the happy excitement of adding to our family."

Frasier stood beside his wife and smiled down at her. "Thank you, Lilith. Thank you for being my wife and bearing my children. I love you very much." She leaned into his embrace and gave a small smile when he kissed the top of her hair.

Rebecca watched the Cranes and smacked Sam in the arm. "How come you didn't say anything like that to me!?" she whined.

"Because I don't love you like Frasier loves Lilith. You're not my wife, Rebecca."

"Yeah but still!"

"Well I'm happy we're having a kid together, okay? I'm really excited to be a dad, and I wouldn't want to have anyone else be the mother, okay?!" he replied angrily.

Rebecca ignored his tone and focused on the words. Tears formed in her eyes. "Thank you, Sam!" She fell into his arms and started crying. Sam stroked her hair and looked over her head to Frasier with shock.

Frasier just smiled at his friend. "Welcome to hell, Sam. A pregnant woman will love you more than you ever knew. Then she'll hate you with hellfire. And you will never know which is coming. And there will be a lot of crying."

Sam glanced down at sobbing Rebecca in his arms. "Too late to back out now," he muttered. But then he remember that he was going to be a dad. And Sam Malone smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Lilith sat in the far corner of Cheers, desperately trying to hide the smile on her face. Frasier was sitting at the piano, playing and singing to his family. Frederick was squirming on his mother's lap. It wasn't very easy for the toddler to sit comfortably when there was a big belly in the way. Lilith was now six months along, and positively glowing.

Sam came bursting out of the office and slammed the door behind him. A loud screech came from the room he had just vacated. Frasier paused his playing and turned around to see what was wrong. "Sam?" he asked tentatively.

"That…I don't…argh!" Sam stammered. He pointed angrily at the office door. "That woman is insane! I don't care if she's carrying my child. She's nuts!"

Lilith handed Freddy to Frasier and walked over to the bar. "Sam, what happened?"

"I went into the office to ask Rebecca to order an extra shipment of beer because St. Patrick's Day is coming up, and we don't want to run out, right? So I walk in, and she's lying on the couch, crying. And I asked her what was wrong, and she gets all upset, saying she's tired and her back hurts and why is she so miserable when the Cranes are so happy!? Then she threw a cushion at me and I left."

With a nod, Lilith turned away from Sam and went into the office. "Rebecca, let's have a talk, shall we?" She pulled up a chair and fell into it as best she could. It might be her second pregnancy, but Lilith was still not used to her small body being made almost twice its size. "Why don't you sit up? Put one of those pillows behind your lower back. It will give lumbar support and reduce the pressure being put on your spine."

Rebecca grouchily did what Lilith suggested. "I don't know how you do it, Lilith. Why would you do this again? Or Carla! How the heck did seven children come out of that tiny, angry person?!"

Lilith shook her head in a knowing fashion. "Carla is not a typical case, Rebecca. Carla is not a good example of anything…except perhaps what happens when a woman doesn't have proper control over her reproductive system. But we aren't talking about Carla. We are talking about you. Try to articulate what you are feeling."

"Well," Rebecca began, pausing a moment to consider, "my back hurts. My whole body feels like it's swollen to be the size of a beached whale. I don't have a sense of humor anymore. Everything either makes me angry or makes me cry. And I just don't see how this could possibly be a magical experience for anyone. I'm miserable. How come you're not miserable, Lilith?"

"Rebecca, you mustn't compare yourself to others. Your experience is your own. I'm sorry that you aren't enjoying any of it. I myself haven't been able to eat anything except green beans and penne pasta. I can't even eat any other kind of noodle. They all taste strange except the penne. And I crave green beans. I can't explain it beyond perhaps my body is lacking the other nutrients the fetus needs. Also I haven't slept more than two hours at a time in the last two weeks."

"Really?" Rebecca asked, sniffing back her tears. "But you seem so happy! Well…you don't seem any different than usual."

"I suspect that this all might perhaps change for me in the next few weeks, but we'll see. What you need, I believe, is a distraction. I can't sit around feeling sorry for myself and focusing on how uncomfortable and exhausted I am because I have a young son to care for, a husband to look after, and I'm still trying to work in my lab as much as I can. You come to Cheers every day, but you don't seem to be doing any work. Try focusing more on what you can do around here."

Rebecca ran her fingers through her long brown hair. "I guess," she pouted. "I'd rather just not feel like a whale anymore."

"Three more months, Rebecca. Speaking of which, have you and Sam gotten the crib and stroller and so forth for the baby? Have you started discussing names?"

"We've fought about everything. The only thing we decided is that we'll hyphenate the last name. Baby Howe-Malone."

"That's an important decision. But you should get the nursery together. God forbid you start feeling worse in the coming weeks, you'll want all of that out of the way."

"Thank you, Lilith. I'll make Sam take some time off so we go buy everything." Rebecca hauled herself off the couch. "But right now, I really should order another shipment of beer."

"I'll let Sam know you've calmed down. Remember to communicate with your partner. And I'll tell Sam that he needs to be more patient."

Rebecca gave Lilith a small smile. "I feel like I should hug you."

Lilith held out her hand. "That won't be necessary." She quickly left the office and closed the door behind her.

"How did it go? Did she stop crying?" Sam asked anxiously.

"She's fine. But you need to remember that she's going through quite a lot, so listen to her and try not to be so impatient. She's ordering beer now. You should go in and talk to her. And be nice!" Lilith said sternly.

Frasier, with Freddy in his arms, came over to where Lilith was standing, leaning against the bar between Norm and Cliff. "Superb job, darling. I'm glad we can help Sam and Rebecca through this."

"We?" Lilith snapped. "What have you done to add to this situation, other than keeping Frederick occupied while I give free counseling?"

He stood with his mouth open, gaping stupidly. "I…"

"Oh move, I need to use the restroom. Again," she said angrily, pushing her husband out of the way.

Frasier looked to his friends. "What did I do?"

"I think you tried to take credit for what she did, Dr. Crane," Woody commented.

"Yes, I recognize that now, but was that response warranted?" Frasier complained.

Norm took a swig of beer before saying, "Let's just all be grateful that she hasn't gone all Earth Mother like last time."

"Yeah, that was just weird," Cliff agreed.

Lilith returned. Her face was unreadable. "I think it's time the Cranes went home now," she announced.

Frasier didn't really want to leave, but he was afraid to protest. "Anything you want, darling. I'll get Frederick's coat."

"One moment." Lilith took Frederick from Frasier's arms and put him in a chair at the table Carla was clearing. "Carla, could you please watch Frederick for a moment? I need to speak to my husband in the back room."

"Yeah, sure," Carla replied. She gave Freddy a few pretzels out of the bowl on the table.

"Frasier, would you join me for a moment?"

He followed her back to the pool table in the back. "What is it, sweetheart? Is something wrong?"

Lilith turned to face him and pulled him toward her by his sweater vest. She kissed him hard. Frasier's shock wore off after a second and put his arms around her, kissing her back. They remained that way for a long moment before Lilith pulled back to catch her breath.

"What was that for?" Frasier asked with a smile.

Lilith frowned. "Promise me that I won't ever have to do any of this alone."

"Of course not, my love."

"Rebecca is so afraid. She won't say so, but she is. Her future is so uncertain with Sam and with their child. I feel for her, I do. But I can't help but being so thankful to have a husband who loves me and who would never abandon his family."

"Lilith, that is something you never have to worry about."

She kissed him once more and finally smiled. "Thank you, Frasier." She pulled away and took his hand. "Let's go home. And by the way, we need to start considering names. I have a few ideas, but they should be discussed."

Frasier nodded and smiled as he left the bar with his family.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey guys, the Cranes are here!" Woody announced as Frasier entered the bar with Frederick holding his hand. Lilith followed with a baby carrier.

Frasier waved to his friends, beaming from ear to ear. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce the newest member of the family!"

Cliff, Norm, Woody, and Sam all crowded around. Carla wiped off a table so Lilith could set down the carrier. She lifted a blue bundle up.

"What's the little guy's name?" Cliff asked.

"Her name is Evelyn Elizabeth," Lilith answered with a slight frown toward Cliff.

Woody blinked. "Why is she in blue?"

"Because, Woody, colors associated with gender are social constructions and silly ones that we choose not to accept. Lilith thought, and I agreed, that Evey looks very cute in blue. So she has a blue blanket. But as you can see, she's also wearing a white onesie with green frogs on it," Frasier explained.

Lilith moved the blanket off to show the adorable frog outfit that Sam had given them for the baby shower. They had elected to be surprised by the baby's gender, so all of the gifts had been gender-neutral. Regardless, little Evelyn was a pink bundle of beauty, and all the Cranes were absolutely smitten.

Cliff came a little closer to say hello, but before he could say anything, Evelyn started crying.

"Oh dear, I think it's time for a feeding. Sam, do you mind if I use the office?" Lilith asked, skillfully keeping her newborn away from the mailman who seemed to offend the child.

"Sure, go ahead," Sam replied. "Rebecca is in there, but she'll leave if you need her to."

Lilith nodded and thanked Sam and went into the office, closing the door behind her. Rebecca was sitting at the desk, going over what looked like the bar's accounts. She looked up to see the new baby and her mother.

"Oh my god! Lilith! Is that the baby?" Rebecca squealed. She pushed herself up from the chair with audible effort and came waddling over.

Lilith resisted the urge to reply sarcastically. "This is Evelyn Elizabeth Sternin-Crane. And she needs her lunch." She sat down with her crying daughter and began preparing to feed her.

"Are you going to breastfeed her?"

"That was my intention, yes."

Rebecca sat beside Lilith on the sofa. "Will you show me how? Because I don't really know if I want to or not, but I have no idea how it works."

"Rebecca, have you not read any of the books I gave you?" Lilith scolded. "All the information was there!"

"I know, but those books were long and I got bored."

Lilith made a small sound somewhat akin to a growl, but thankfully Evelyn's cries drowned it out. Lilith showed Rebecca the step-by-step process of breastfeeding. "It's the most natural thing in the world, Rebecca. Women have been doing it since the dawn of time."

Rebecca watched in wonder as Evelyn ate. Lilith looked down at her daughter and smiled. It was just evolutionary hormones that made her so affectionate toward her child, but the effect was quite powerful nonetheless. When the baby was finished, Lilith draped a cloth over her shoulder and burped her.

"There you are, Evelyn. Ready to go back and meet everyone? I know they're a bit much at times, but your daddy loves them, and we both love your daddy, so we can't avoid it forever," she told her tiny daughter.

"Oh my god."

Lilith turned to Rebecca, who was sitting beside her, staring wide-eyed into space. "Rebecca? Are you alright?"

"I…I think my water broke!" Rebecca exclaimed.

"I think you're right. You're going into labor," Lilith told her. "And I think you've ruined Sam's sofa. But you're giving him a child, so I'm fairly certain that he will forgive you." She stood up with Evelyn in her arms. "I'll go get Sam, and we'll get you to the hospital."

"Okay…" Rebecca said, the panic starting to become very evident in her voice.

A moment later, Sam ran in. "How ya feeling, honey? Are you okay?"

In response, Rebecca let out a scream of pain.

"That would be a contraction," Frasier said, appearing behind Sam.

Sam took Rebecca's hands and helped her stand up. "Time to go. Frasier and I are gonna take you to the hospital. We're gonna meet our kid!" he said excitedly.

"Is Lilith coming?" Rebecca asked, her voice cracking with strain.

"No," Frasier responded, "She's going to take the children home."

Rebecca protested as they helped her walk through the bar and up to the car. "But she has to come! She's my person! She's supposed to hold my hand and tell me all that sciencey crap to make me feel better! She's been doing that for the last nine months! And now she's going to desert me at the most important part!?"

Sam frowned. "Hey, what about me, huh? I've been here the whole time, and I'll be here for everything. It's my kid too, you know."

"But you haven't given birth!" Rebecca screeched into his ear. "You are not helpful right now."

Lilith came behind them with Frederick holding onto one hand and Evelyn in the baby carrier in the other hand. "Calm down, Rebecca. You're adding undue stress onto your body. I'll come with you. Frasier and I can take turns with Frederick and Evelyn, and you will have the support of Sam and all the Cranes, alright?"

"Thank you, Lilith!"

Sam helped Rebecca into his car. Frasier and Lilith strapped their children into the back of their car and followed closely behind to the hospital. Rebecca was screaming and crying the whole way.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Rebecca, I promise," Sam assured her, trying desperately to keep calm himself.

"Oh Sam, how can you say that? You know women DIE from childbirth, right? What if something's wrong with the baby? What if…" Her last hypothetical disaster was swallowed by a loud groan of pain.

"You're gonna be fine. Our kid is gonna be fine. This time tomorrow, we're gonna take him home to his new nursery that we decorated. We're gonna be a happy family, just you wait."

Rebecca stopped trying to talk and instead tried to focus on the image of Sam living in her apartment with their baby. They had finally decided that they were all going to live together in her place for the first year of the baby's life, then reexamine things and decide what would be best. They had also agreed to swear off dating until then as well. That one had been a rough conversation, but the Cranes had helped facilitate a dialogue that ultimately led to them to the decision. After all, it was best for the baby that way.

Frasier found himself sitting in the waiting room outside the maternity ward. Freddy was in his lap, examining a magazine. Evey was sleeping soundly in her carrier on the chair beside them. Lilith had gone into the delivery room with Sam and Rebecca. They had been quite a while. Frasier was bored and exhausted. But at least the children were behaving.

"Where Mommy?" Freddy asked with a yawn. It was past his naptime, and it was Lilith's ritual with their son to sing him to sleep.

"Where _is_ Mommy," Frasier corrected. "And Mommy is helping Aunt Rebecca have her baby. Remember a few weeks ago when you were here with Grandma? I was helping Mommy have her baby, and now it's Mommy's turn to be the helper."

Frederick's little brow furrowed as he processed all of this information. "Where Uncle Sammy?"

"Where _is_ Uncle Sammy," Frasier corrected again. "He's with Mommy and Aunt Rebecca."

That seemed to satisfy Freddy. He handed his father the magazine before snuggling into Frasier's sweater and quickly falling asleep.

Lilith eventually came out to see her family. She found Frasier asleep with a napping Frederick on his lap. Evelyn, however, was wide awake, happily gurgling and looking around. Lilith picked her daughter up and kissed her gently. "Frasier," she said softly, waking her husband.

Frasier jolted awake, but was careful not to disturb his son. "Is the baby here?"

"Yes," Lilith replied with a small smile. "Another girl."

"How did Sam react?" Frasier asked cautiously

"Why don't you go see? I'll stay with Frederick and Evelyn." She put her daughter down and picked up her sleeping boy to relieve Frasier. "They're in room 217."

Frasier walked down the hall to the recovery room assigned to Rebecca. He walked in to find a very happy scene. "I hear there's a baby Howe-Malone."

Rebecca chuckled from her bed. "Yep! Come on and meet her, Fras."

In a chair beside Rebecca, Sam was staring at the sleeping baby in his arms. He held her so carefully and looked at her with such awe. He looked up, and Frasier could see tears in his eyes.

"I'm a dad," Sam said. There was an air of disbelief in his voice.

"Yes you are," Frasier assured him with a grin. "What's your little angel's name?"

"Caroline Ernestine Howe-Malone," Rebecca told him proudly.

"After Coach," Sam explained quietly, his focus back on his daughter.

Frasier felt a pang in his chest for Ernie Pantusso, their dearly departed friend. He had been something of a father and mentor for most of Sam's adult life. Coach would have been so proud of Sam.

"It's my turn, Sam. Give her back," Rebecca whined, reaching her hands out for Sam to hand back the baby.

"Five more minutes," Sam said distractedly. But he looked at Rebecca and quickly gave Caroline back to her mother. Rebecca settled happily into the bed, gazing at the baby with love and awe. Sam stood beside them, looking on reverently.

Frasier decided to give the new family their privacy and walked back down the hall. He found Lilith holding Freddy, gently stroking his hair. Frasier motioned for her to stand up, which she did.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Frasier didn't respond, instead just smiling and kissing her gently.


End file.
